Left to right: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pose prior to their talks in Beijing on May 14.

Friendly feelings abounded in Japan toward the rest of the world in 2012–if only it weren’t for those sour feelings toward China and South Korea.

The Japanese liked every region and nearly every country more than they did in the previous year, according to the results of an annual survey by the Cabinet Office released Monday. The U.S., Russia and India were all held in higher esteem in 2012, the survey showed. But in the face of ongoing territorial flare-ups, Japanese views on rapport with China and South Korea sank to their lowest levels in decades.

The survey, conducted Sept. 27-Oct. 7, asked two questions: How friendly respondents felt toward each country, and how they assessed Japan’s relationship with it. Most respondents were negative when asked about the two Asian neighbors.